Top 10 Songs about Wealth and Money

10 – ‘Money, Money, Money’ – (ABBA / 1976)

‘I work all night, I work all day, to pay the bills I have to payAin’t it sadAnd still there never seems to be a single penny left for meThat’s too badIn my dreams I have a planIf I got me a wealthy manI wouldn’t have to work at all, I’d fool around and have a ball…

‘Money, Money, Money’ is a song recorded by ABBA, written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (the usual suspects!). It was released as a single on 1 November 1976, as the follow-up to ‘Dancing Queen’ (both from the album ‘Arrival’)

The song became a number-one chart hit in Australia, Belgium, France, West Germany, The Netherlands, Mexico and New Zealand.

9 – ‘Take the Money and Run’ – (Steve Miller Band / 1976)

‘This here’s a story about Billy Joe and Bobbie Sue Two young lovers with nothin’ better to do Than sit around the house, get high, and watch the tube And here is what happened when they decided to cut loose

They headed down to, ooh, old El Paso That’s where they ran into a great big hassle Billy Joe shot a man while robbing his castle Bobbie Sue took the money and run

Go on take the money and run Go on take the money and run Go on take the money and run Go on take the money and run’

(…)

Recorded in 1976 by the Steve Miller Band, ‘Take the Money and Run’ peaked at #11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

‘The Big Money’ was recorded in 1985 by the progressive rock group Rush and charted at #45 on the Billboard Hot 100. The lyrics, written by drummer Neil Peart, reflect on the power of “big money” and the sheer magnitude of trade in the modern global economy, particularly during the 1980s.

7 – ‘Billion Dollar Babies’ – (Alice Cooper / 1973)

(…)

‘Billion dollar baby Reckless like a gambler, million dollar maybe Foaming like a dog that’s been infected by the rabies We go dancing nighty in the attic While the moon is rising the sky If I’m too rough, tell me I’m so scared your little head will come off in my hands Million dollar baby Billion dollar bay Trillion dollar baby Zillion dollar baby’

‘Billion Dollar Babies’ released in 1973, was a popular single by Alice Cooper taken from the album with the same name. ‘Billion Dollar Babies’ also became the name of a band which descended from the Alice Cooper band that recorded the song: Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway, and Neal Smith, along with additions Bob Dolin and Mike Marconi.

6 – ‘Rich’ – (Yeah Yeah Yeahs / 2003)

‘I’m rich Like a hot noise Rich, rich, rich I’ll take you out boy So stuck up Wish you’d stick in to me Flesh ripped off RAAAAAWR’

(…)

‘Rich’ was taken from Yeah Yeah Yeahs debut album ‘Fever to Tell’, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album and was certified Gold in the UK. In 2009, the album was named by Rolling Stone, Pitchfork Media, and NME as one of the best albums of the decade!

5 – ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’ – (The Beatles / 1969)

‘You never give me your money You only give me your funny paper And in the middle of negotiations You break down

I never give you my number I only give you my situation And in the middle of investigation I break down

Out of college, money spent See no future, pay no rent All the money’s gone, nowhere to go Any jobber got the sack Monday morning, turning back Yellow lorry slow, nowhere to go But oh, that magic feeling, nowhere to go Oh, that magic feeling, nowhere to go Nowhere to go’

(…)

Written by Paul McCartney, ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’ is the opening track on side two of the album ‘Abbey Road’. The track documents the financial and personal difficulties the band was facing at the time.

4 – ‘Money for Nothing’ – (Dire Straits / 1985)

‘Now look at them yo-yo’s that’s the way you do itYou play the guitar on the MTVThat ain’t workin’ that’s the way you do itMoney for nothin’ and chicks for freeNow that ain’t workin’ that’s the way you do itLemme tell ya them guys ain’t dumbMaybe get a blister on your little fingerMaybe get a blister on your thumb

In 1985, Dire Straits released their 5th studio album, ‘Brother in Arms’. ‘Money for Nothing’ was the second single taken from that album, becoming one of Dire Straits’ most successful songs, peaking at number one for three weeks in the United States, and it also reached number one for three weeks on the US Top Rock Tracks chart. In the UK, the song peaked at number four. ‘Money for Nothing’ also won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1986 at the 28th Annual Grammy Awards.

3 – ‘Free Money’ – (Patti Smith / 1975)

‘Every night before I go to sleepFind a ticket, win a lottery,Scoop the pearls up from the seaCash them in and buy you all the things you need.

Every night before I rest my headSee those dollar bills go swirling ’round my bed.I know they’re stolen, but I don’t feel bad.I take that money, buy you things you never had.

Oh, baby, it would mean so much to me,Oh, baby, to buy you all the things you need for free.I’ll buy you a jet plane, baby,Get you on a higher plane to a jet streamAnd take you through the stratosphereAnd check out the planets there and then take you downDeep where it’s hot, hot in Arabia, babia, then cool, cold fields of snowAnd we’ll roll, dream, roll, dream, roll, roll, dream, dream.When we dream it, when we dream it, when we dream it,We’ll dream it, dream it for free, free money,Free money, free money, free money, free money, free money, free money.’

(…)

‘Free Money’ was written by Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye, Patti Smith Group guitarist. The song was first released in 1975 from the mythic album ‘Horses’. In 1977, Sammy Hagar released a cover of ‘Free Money’ on his self-titled second album.

2 – ‘What Do You Do For Money Honey?’ – (AC-DC / 1980)

‘You workin’ in bars ridin’ in carsNever gonna give it for freeYour apartment with a view on the finest avenueLookin’ at your beat on the streetYou’re always pushin’, shovin’, satisfied with nothingYou bitch you must be gettin’ oldSo stop your life on the roadAll your diggin’ for goldYou make me wonderYes I wonderI wonderHoney, what do you do for moneyHoney, what do you do for moneyWhere do you get your kicks’

(…)

‘Back in Black’ is one of the best efforts in the history of rock, period!

In 1980, this album break many records, and today RIAA certified it 22x multi-platinum, recognizing sales of 22 million…in the US (!) Certainly they have wona lot of moneywith thisalbum,but at the time when they were recording one of their best songs – ‘What Do You Do For Money Honey?’- only in their best dreams they would picture that.

1 – ‘Money‘ – ( Pink Floyd / 1973)

‘Money, get awayGet a good job with more pay and your O.K.Money it’s a gasGrab that cash with both hands and make a stashNew car, caviar, four star daydream,Think I’ll buy me a football teamMoney get backI’m all right Jack keep your hands off my stack.Money it’s a hitDon’t give me that do goody good bullshitI’m in the hi-fidelity first class traveling setAnd I think I need a Lear jetMoney it’s a crimeShare it fairly but don’t take a slice of my pieMoney so they sayIs the root of all evil todayBut if you ask for a rise it’s no surprise that they’regiving none away’

(…)

There aren’t enough adjectives to describe this epic song. ‘Money’ was written by Roger Waters and released as a single, it became Pink Floyd first chart hit in the US, reaching #10 in Cash Box magazine and #13 on the Billboard Hot 100.